Crunchy Smoked Beet Sandwich

Alongside a talent in filmmaking, the famous Francis Ford Coppola has turned a penchant for winemaking into a successful business. For big and bold flavours, look no further than his Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon, a full and dry wine with deep anise, chocolate and dark berry notes (cassis, blackberries and cherries). A perfect compliment to this crunchy smoked beet sandwich! Packed full of earthy and sweet beets with a smoked whipped feta and herbed sauce, you’ll be wanting seconds guaranteed.

A big thank you to Noble Estates for providing a selection of summery wines to work on wine pairings with! Stay tuned to find the next recipes featuring carefully selected wines!

Baked beets:

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized beets

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash beets and place on baking tray.
3. Bake for 40-50 min or until fork tender.
4. Place in bowl and cover for 15-30 min.
5. Remove skin from beets (you may want to use gloves).
6. Slice into 2-3mm slices or desired thickness.

Marinated herbs

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup packed coriander, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup packed parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano (or replace 1/4 cup of fresh parsley with fresh oregano)
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp jalapeno, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Method:

1. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients and season.

*You can substitute the oregano or coriander for mint if preferred.

Smoked Whipped feta

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup yoghurt (50g)
• 1/2-1 cup or 160g smoked feta (alternatively you can smoke this at home! I used mesquite smoking chips)

Method:

1. Place yoghurt and half of feta in blender and process until smooth (approx. 2 min).
2. Add remaining feta and process until consistency of cream whipped to soft peaks.
3. Refrigeraye for 1-2h or until thickened.

Crunchy Smoked Beet Sandwich

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 8 slices of sourdough or rye bread
• Baked beets
• Marinated herbs
• Whipped smoked feta
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 small head of lettuce

Method:

1. Toast bread to desired level.
2. Thinly slice the celery stalk into 1mm thick pieces.
3. Thinly slice the lettuce.
4. Toss the lettuce and celery in the marinated herbs.
5. Spread the whipped feta over the bread.
6. Add the beets and top with greens.
7. Enjoy with a glass of Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon.